Transmutation
by spacegypsy1
Summary: Vala fears the worst when she thinks she may have been attacked by an alien insect. Fluffery, Mission with a Bee, monsterism, Daniel and Vala, Short One-Shot, Comfort. A little bit of Cam and Teal'c


~0i0~

The initial screech had each of the three men on their feet and running towards Vala's tent. Mere feet from its entrance, Mitchell, Teal'c, and Daniel skidded to a stop as Vala burst through the tent flap.

With the setting sun blazing behind her, her BDU jacket went one direction and she went the other, yelling. "Beeeeeeeeeeeee!

At first, Daniel laughed, Mitchell hollered, "Vala!" and Teal'c cocked his head to the side, his mouth opening ever so slightly.

When Vala's T-shirt ripped over her head and was tossed aside as she ran in a circle, intermittently swatting at herself or the air, and she began to pull the chemise up, well, the three rushed her.

"Whoa, whoa, Princess." Mitchell got hold of the tail of her pink underwear, holding it down.

"Beee!" Vala cried out, "it's...it's...it's..."

Daniel stepped in front of her. "It's okay now!"

"Eeeehhh, I think it got me. Here, see?" Snatching the shirttail from her CO, Vala lifted it and pointed to her navel. "Here."

His eyes were drawn to the spot where her finger directed and Daniel stared, the Bee forgotten.

Panting, Vala continued to point, lifting her gaze to Teal'c first and then Mitchell. "Remember what happened to Muscles?"

"Ah, Damn." Mitchell shook his head, "that's trouble."

With a disgusted sigh, Daniel glared at the colonel. "You really have read all the mission reports, haven't you? But did you have to tell her?"

"I...I..."

Before Mitchell could reply further, Vala, shirttail still held high, and finger still indicating the site of the possible insect attack, stepped back giving Daniel a sullen look. "I know what happened to Muscles, what difference does it make how...it's not like I can un-know it without some alien device!"

"Vala, it's probably nothin'. Jackson, maybe you should escort her back to be sure. You can meet up with me and the big guy in the village when you get back tomorrow."

"No, no. I'm fine. Really. We could wait and see if I start molting or whatever." Dropping the shirttail Vala squinted against the sun on the horizon that shot it's red/gold beam directly at her eyes.

Coming out of his stupor now, with Vala's tight stomach no longer in view, Daniel snapped his head up. "It was a tiny bee!"

Those narrowed eyes slit further and pierced Daniel. "It bit me!"

"Stung." Daniel deadpanned.

"Whatever. It could, you know, create massive monsterism!"

Daniel rolled his eyes in frustration. "I'm going to strangle you, Mitchell. You're fine, Vala. It's only a bee sting."

"Hmph," she responded. "We'll see."

"Okay, Jackson, you're on Vala duty – her tent. Make sure she doesn't go all buggy. Me, I'm on first watch. Teal'c'll take second watch. Let's have some dinner, and turn in. We've gotta big day ahead tomorrow."

~0i0~

After transferring his gear into Vala's tent, Daniel stripped in the darkness to his skivvies, zipped himself into his sleeping bag, informed Vala to wake him if she turned into some monster, rolled over, and tried to get some rest.

After about an hour he heard her sigh and state to no one in particular...or him. "I can't sleep."

"Okay," he responded turning to his back.

"I mean, what if I wake up in a cocoon?"

Daniel opened his eyes and stared into the darkness. "Last time. Bee. Small. Harmless."

"Maybe we should catch one."

"A bee!" He rolled to his side, in her direction.

"Yes."

"Why?" Incredulous, he could barely whisper the word.

"Send it back for analysis."

He heard the unspoken _'of course' _in her voice, and something else...an undercurrent of vulnerability. "Right," he said, "tomorrow. Bees, they sleep at night."

There was no stopping his grin – though it was shrouded in the pitch black.

"Well, Daniel, that would be the perfect time to capture one - you know, while they sleep."

It took him a moment. "Ah... these particular bees, they have hidden sleeping places...so...er...predators can't find them."

"Oh," she sighed, sounding worried.

"Come here." He could imagine what she was doing. Biting her lip. Eyebrows scrunched low. Contemplating herself as a mutation of human and bee. He reached across and pulled her sleeping bag against him, wrapping his arm around her middle. "Go to sleep, Vala, I'll protect you."

"Mmm," she purred. "Thank you, darling. That's why..." she yawned wide, mumbling in half sleep. "I love you..."

He waited a good thirty seconds, thinking she was sound asleep before whispering against her hair, "That's a scary thought."

"Not really," she mumbled, "I've been rather fond of you for quite some time."

"Oh," Daniel said, snuggling closer, "me, too."

Again, Vala yawned, her words barely coherent. "Fond of yourself?"

"No, fond of you." Daniel buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"Goodnight, Daniel."

"Goodnight, Vala

~END


End file.
